Botanical atlas

Passionfruit

Passiflora edulis

Long before passionfruit found its way into juices and desserts around the world, South American communities were steeping its leaves into a mild evening tea to quiet a restless mind after a long day. The vine takes its common name from Spanish missionaries in the sixteenth century, who read the flower's unusual parts as symbols of the crucifixion, the corona as a crown of thorns, the five petals and five sepals as ten faithful apostles. Its fruit, meanwhile, became a staple of tropical kitchens for its perfumed, tart pulp, prized as much for pleasure as for the way it seemed to settle the stomach after a heavy meal.

Safety.

Ripe passionfruit pulp is a safe, everyday food. Unripe fruit, large amounts of seeds, and raw leaves or stems contain small amounts of cyanogenic compounds and shouldn't be eaten; traditional leaf tea is best avoided in pregnancy or alongside sedative medication.